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Sunday, 28 October 2012

Read the article
and write an essay on the following topic in 250 words:

The number of cars keeps
increasing, so road systems should be expanded. Some people think the
government should pay for it, while others think the car owners should pay for
it. What’s your opinion?

The fast
pace of economic development in many countries has enabled more and more people
to own personal vehicles like cars. This
situation has necessitated the need to create additional infrastructure to
accommodate the escalating traffic on the roads, which require huge investments. However, many governments have lagged behind
in this area due to insufficient funds. In
the meantime, the scarcity of highways, flyovers and by-pass roads and the
overloading of existing roads have created severe traffic congestions and
accidents are on the increase.

In order to
address this crisis situation many governments are considering the possibility
of making car owners pay for the development of road infrastructure. People who favour governments’ stand on this
issue argue that since it is the motorists who need superior roads to drive
comfortably, they should pay for it. However,
many others believe that government alone should shoulder the responsibility of
developing roads.

From a
government perspective, increasing car ownership by individuals has flooded the
existing roads and necessitated the construction of a larger road system. Newer highways, bridges, flyovers and by-pass
roads have to be built to control the traffic congestions, which require huge
funds. Due to commitments from other
essential sectors, governments are often not able to afford such enormous
capital investment. Hence, they believe,
car owners should bear the cost of road development.

Since the
public are willing to pay for utilities like water and electricity, government questions
the logic in that argument that roads need to be funded by public finances.

A successful
methodology adopted by many governments both in the developed and developing
countries is to assign private infrastructure firms to develop road system and
allow them to collect toll from vehicle owners who use such roads, in order to
meet the cost.

Charging higher
taxes from car owners to be used for the construction and upkeep of new road
system has also been adopted in some countries.
This would take the pressure off the government and they can
concentrate on more essential utilities for the public.

Again, there
are special lanes which can be used by drivers who want to avoid crowded lanes,
by paying a certain fee especially during the peak hours. This system has already been introduced in
certain western countries as ‘pay-as-you-go lanes’ or ‘Lexus
lanes’, where rich motorists can bypass traffic jams. This money would be used for infrastructural
development.

There are
people who oppose the policy of the government and suggest that any welfare
government has the obligation to provide the basic infrastructural facilities, such
as roads, to the citizens. It is unreasonable
for government to stay away from this responsibility, arguing that it does not have
sufficient funds to do it. Instead, government
should avail funds from other sources and improve road systems for the people. Ideally, they could take loans from financial institutions
like World Bank or International Monitory Fund. Many governments are already doing it, especially
in the developing world.

Moreover, many
believe that car owners pay various types of vehicle, road and fuel taxes to
the government and it is unfair to burden them further with additional taxes or
road toll. Increase in the number of vehicles
automatically suggests greater taxes, which can be used for the improvement of roads.

Both sides have
valid arguments to substantiate their point of view. However, considering to enormous burden that governments
need to shoulder in various sectors, I would support the view that it is time that
citizens be responsible for the development of road systems.

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